A Family Vacation #3
by KaitlynRose
Summary: Bridger and Westphalen are going away, but why is Lucas being left behind.


I don't own any of these characters. I'm just a huge fan of season one. I hope you enjoy the story. For my  
stories I use 2004 for the year Lucas was born. I like the father/son relationship between Bridger and Lucas,  
so i like to keep Lucas on the younger side, and a bit more vulnerable.  
  
A Family Vacation  
  
  
Nathan watched as the last shuttle departed the seaQuest. The only people left to go was him and   
Kristin. Just then there shuttle arrived and docked in the launch bay.  
  
"This is going to be wonderful," Kristin said. She had been looking forward to this little trip for a   
while. They were going to spend nine days in a house on the beach that Nathan had rented. It was going to   
be great to live up world for a while, breath some fresh air, maybe even get a tan. Living under the ocean   
did nothing for a woman's complexion.   
  
She watched as Nathan stowed their bags on the launch. She could tell that he was a little   
disappointed. He had hoped Lucas would come with them. He had even made a point of renting a house   
with three bedrooms. But Lucas' mother said she would take the boy, much to Nathan's chagrin. She and   
Nathan both knew that if Lucas spent the shore leave with his mother, that he'd never really get to spend   
any time with her. His mother would just leave him with secretaries and house keepers, and when Lucas   
returned to the boat in nine days he would be depressed and withdrawn, and Nathan would have to start all   
over again to get him to open up and trust once more.  
  
Nathan finished with the bags and was about to tell Kristin to come when suddenly he had an   
overwhelming feeling that he'd forgotten something. He looked at her for a moment, and she looked at   
him with puzzled eyes.  
  
"What's the matter?" she asked.  
  
"I, I have a feeling that something's wrong," he replied.  
  
"Nathan, that's perfectly normal, but I assure you the iron has been turned off, and the answering   
machine is on," she teased.  
  
He gave her a quick smile, and then suddenly he knew what was the matter. He hadn't seen Lucas   
leave the ship. They had said their good-byes to each other early this morning, but he had been in the   
launch bay most of the day, and he had never seen Lucas depart.  
  
"I'll be right back," he told Kristin and left the launch bay.  
  
Kristin had a feeling she knew where he was going. She smiled to herself. She considered herself   
lucky to have Nathan in her life. He was a wonderful man, even if he was in the military. Any man that   
could love a child the way Nathan loved Lucas had to be good, especially when Lucas wasn't even his son.   
Not that that mattered. Nathan was more of a father to the boy that his own father ever could be. His   
parents did nothing but cause him pain. She didn't know why, but she suddenly found herself walking   
slowly out of the launch bay and towards Lucas' quarters, where she was sure she'd find Nathan.  
  
  
__________  
  
  
Lucas sat quietly in his cabin. He didn't turn on his computers. He looked longingly at the aqua   
tube, but Darwin wasn't there. Darwin had been released from the boat for the shore leave. He was alone.   
He should be used to being alone, since that was how he'd spent most of his life, but he had a new family   
now, and was used to having people in his life, and he found that he was no longer able to shut his   
emotions off the way he used to. He found this a little unsettling. He wiped away at the tear that ran down   
his face, angry that he was allowing himself to be upset like this. He berated himself for being weak. This   
was Bridger's fault. The Captain told him it was okay to feel. The Captain loved him and took care of him   
like no one else in the world ever had, and as a result, Lucas had let the walls he had built over the years   
crumble. But now the Captain was gone, and he was alone, and he couldn't remember ever feeling so   
alone and vulnerable.  
  
He knew Bridger would have taken him with him, if Lucas had simply told him that his mom   
ditched him at the last second, but it wasn't fair to the Captain. Lucas had gone with Bridger for the last   
two shore leaves in a row. He didn't think that Bridger minded, in fact he knew that the man enjoyed   
having him around. The trip to Disney World had been Bridger's idea from the start. But this time was   
different. He knew that the Captain was taking Kristin this time, not that she hadn't gone before, but when   
Lucas had seen Bridger with Kristin yesterday, it had seemed, well, rather romantic, and Lucas would be in   
the way. So he just kept quiet and said good bye to the man with a smile on his face, like he didn't have a   
problem in the world.   
  
He rolled over on his bed and buried his face in his pillow and cried. He knew it was silly, but   
part of him was mad at the Captain. He felt that Bridger should have known that something was wrong,   
should have insisted that Lucas come. He trusted the Captain, and as stupid as his feelings were at the   
moment, he wished the Captain were there to make everything better. To tell Lucas that he wasn't a   
burden, and to remind him that he was loved.  
  
__________________  
  
  
Nathan slowly opened the door to Lucas' room and sure enough, there was Lucas, lying on his   
bed, face in his pillow. His shoulders shook up and down as he cried. Nathan felt his heart break. He   
walked over to the boy and put his hand on his shoulder. Lucas jerked up, startled by his touch.  
  
"Captain," Lucas said, trying to wipe the tears from his face. "What are you doing here?"  
  
"I could ask you the same question."  
  
"Uh…well, you see, my mom, she…she couldn't," Lucas stammered.  
  
"So you were just going to stay here. Lucas, I'm surprised. I thought we were past this. You lied   
to me. You came to me this morning and said good-bye, and you never told me that you were being left   
here."  
  
"I didn't lie," Lucas said defensively. "I…I just didn't mention…"  
  
"Don't give me that," Nathan interrupted. "Not mentioning is the same as lying. You know I   
don't want you left alone onboard seaQuest. I can't believe you didn't come to me. I thought you trusted   
me by now." Nathan couldn't hide the disappointment on his face.  
  
"Please, don't be mad," Lucas started to cry. He didn't mean to lie to the Captain. He didn't want   
to hurt the only person who had treated him kindly. "I wanted to tell you, really I did. Yesterday when my   
mom called, I came to tell you. You were in the science lab," Lucas spoke rapidly. "But, but I couldn't…"  
  
Nathan's anger dissipated when he saw the pain Lucas' was going through. He sat down on the   
bed next to him and pulled the sobbing child into his arms. Lucas snuggled into the older man, and rested   
his head on the Captain's chest. Nathan rocked him gently and stroked his soft hair. After a moment he   
asked in a gentler voice, "Why couldn't you tell me?"  
  
"You were talking to Kristin. She was so happy to be going on her trip with you. You both   
looked happy. I didn't want to ruin it. I didn't want to be in the way. You're not my father, you shouldn't   
have to get stuck with a fourteen year old kid just because my own parents don't love me. It's not fair to   
you."  
  
"Kiddo, you still don't get it do you? I like being stuck with you. I want to be stuck with you. I   
rented a house with three rooms, because the thought that you wouldn't be coming with us never even   
crossed my mind. I was incredibly disappointed when I was told you wouldn't be coming. Promise me   
you won't ever do this ever again. Promise me that no matter what you will come to me and tell me these   
things."  
  
"I promise," Lucas whispered. "I'm sorry. Are you mad at me?"  
  
"No, I'm not mad. I feel bad that you thought you had to hide this from me, and I feel bad that   
you thought Kristin and I wouldn't want you with us, but I'm not mad. I just worry about you, is all. I   
mean, you were going to stay here, and there isn't even any food on board. There would have been no   
shuttles or supplies for nine days. Lucas, do you know how dangerous what you were doing could have been?"  
  
Lucas pulled away from the Captain and looked at him honestly. "Actually, I had food."  
  
"Where?" Nathan asked. Lucas pointed at a cardboard box in the corner of his room. Nathan had   
seen the box many times, but just assumed it had some of Lucas' junk in it. He stood up and walked over   
to the box and opened it. It was filled with canned soups, pastas, and stews. Lying on top of the cans was   
an old fashioned hand held can opener. Nathan looked at Lucas, a little confused.  
  
"Lucas, has this been here the whole time you've been here?" he asked.  
  
Lucas nodded his head. Nathan walked back over to the boy and sat next to him again.  
  
"Why do you have that?"  
  
"When I was six, I was with my mom. She had to go out of the country. Her plane was due to   
leave before my dad would be there to pick me up. Well, I guess my dad left her a message saying he   
couldn't come, but she never got it. She left me there, but no one ever came to get me. Since my mom was   
going to be out of the country for over a month, the housekeeper didn't bother to stock the house with food.   
Everything in the fridge had been thrown away so it wouldn't spoil. The next day I was real hungry, so I   
tried to cook some of the dried beans that were in the glass jar on the counter top. There was no directions,   
so I just guessed how to do it. Well, I ended up setting them on fire. I put the fire out by putting the lid on   
the pot, but after that I was scared to use the stove. So I just drank a lot of water to keep me full. On the   
third day I remember I was so hungry that I ate most of the ketchup left in the fridge, but it made me sick   
and I threw up. I gave up after that and just went to my room to go to sleep. I figured that eventually one   
of them would realize that I was alone and come to get me. I spent three days in bed, trying to sleep   
through the hunger. Finally I passed out.   
  
The next day I woke up in the hospital. My father had finally got home and found me sick in my   
bed. He couldn't wake me up so he rushed me to the emergency. I was in the hospital for five days. My   
parents were so mad at me. They said I was a genius and that I should have found a way to take care of   
myself. After that, I've always made sure to hoard food. I never wanted to go through that again."  
  
Nathan pulled the boy close once again and held him. He also wiped away at the tears that had   
collected in his own eyes. He couldn't believe that Lucas' parents could be so damn irresponsible. To let   
their child almost starve to death.  
  
____________________  
  
  
Kristin had been standing outside of Lucas' door, listening to the two of them talk. Lucas' story   
had torn at her heart. The child had been hurt and abandoned so many times by his parents. She would   
love to talk to the Wolenczaks and give them a piece of her mind. She also felt a little sad. Lucas had lied   
because of her. He was afraid that he'd be in the way. She knew it wasn't her fault, it was the way he had   
been raised, but she couldn't help but feel a little guilty. She wiped the tears on her face and forced herself   
to put on a big smile.  
  
She knocked on Lucas' door and stepped inside. Both Nathan and Lucas looked up at her.  
  
"Well," she said happily, "are you two planning on coming, or are you going to leave me standing   
in the launch bay all day?"  
  
Nathan and Lucas both smiled at her. "We'll be right there," Nathan said. Lucas wiped his face   
and quickly grabbed his duffle bag. He started searching through the mess for clean clothes and stuffing   
them in the bag.  
  
"I'll be waiting in the launch bay," she told Nathan and left the room, giving the two of them a   
little privacy, just in case they still needed to talk.  
  
She was happy that things had worked out. That is, she was pissed as hell that Lucas had once   
again been made to feel abandoned by his parents, but she was happy that Lucas was coming with them.   
Nathan would definitely enjoy the trip much more now, and they would have nine days to show Lucas what   
a real family is like. She found herself smiling at the thought of the three of them together, having dinner,   
playing on the beach. She was surprised by how happy these thoughts made her. She was part of a family   
again. It had been a long time since she had felt needed, and it felt good. Yes, this was going to be a   
wonderful trip.  



End file.
